# 1895–96 in Scottish football

The 1895–96 season of Scottish football was the 23rd season of competitive football in Scotland and the sixth season of the Scottish Football League. This season also saw the introduction of the Scottish Qualifying Cup.

## League competitions
### Scottish Division One

Celtic topped the Scottish Division One.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 18 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 64 | 25 | +39 | 30 | |
| 2 | Rangers | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 57 | 39 | +18 | 26 | |
| 3 | Hibernian | 18 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 58 | 39 | +19 | 24 | |
| 4 | Heart of Midlothian | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 68 | 36 | +32 | 22 | |
| 5 | Dundee | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 33 | 42 | −9 | 16 | |
| 6 | St Bernard's | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 36 | 53 | −17 | 15 | |
| 6 | Third Lanark | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 47 | 51 | −4 | 15 | |
| 8 | St Mirren | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 31 | 51 | −20 | 13 | |
| 9 | Clyde | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 39 | 59 | −20 | 11 | |
| 10 | Dumbarton (R) | 18 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 36 | 74 | −38 | 8 | Relegated to the 1896–97 Scottish Division Two |

### Scottish Division Two

Abercorn came first in the Scottish Division Two. Leith Athletic and Renton finished second and third
| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Abercorn (C, P) | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 55 | 31 | +24 | 27 | Promoted to the 1896–97 Scottish First Division |
| 2 | Leith Athletic | 18 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 23 | |
| 3 | Kilmarnock | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 51 | 46 | +5 | 21 | |
| 3 | Renton | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 40 | 28 | +12 | 21 | |
| 5 | Airdrieonians | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 48 | 44 | +4 | 18 | |
| 5 | Partick Thistle | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 18 | |
| 7 | Port Glasgow Athletic | 18 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 16 | |
| 8 | Motherwell | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 31 | 52 | −21 | 13 | |
| 9 | Morton | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 32 | 42 | −10 | 12 | |
| 10 | Linthouse | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 26 | 49 | −23 | 11 | |

## Other honours
### Cup honours
#### National

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Scottish Cup | Heart of Midlothian | 3 – 1 | Hibernian |
| Scottish Qualifying Cup | Annbank | 3 – 0 | East Stirlingshire |
| Scottish Junior Cup | Cambuslang Hibs | 3 – 1 | Parkhead |

#### County

| Competition | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
| Aberdeenshire Cup | Victoria United | 6 – 2 | Aberdeen |
| Ayrshire Cup | Kilmarnock | 7 – 2 | Galston |
| Border Cup | Selkirk | 6 – 2 | Newcastleton |
| Dumbartonshire Cup | Renton | 3 – 0 | Dumbarton |
| East of Scotland Shield | Mossend Swifts | 4 – 1 | Polton Vale |
| Fife Cup | Clackmannan | w.o. | Alloa Athletic |
| Forfarshire Cup | Arbroath | 2 – 0 | Dundee |
| Glasgow Cup | Celtic | 6 – 3 | Queen's Park |
| Lanarkshire Cup | Royal Albert | 6 – 1 | Motherwell |
| Linlithgowshire Cup | Bo'ness | 3 – 0 | Armadale |
| North of Scotland Cup | Clachnacuddin | 4 – 1 | Elgin City |
| Perthshire Cup | St Johnstone | 5 – 3 | Dunblane |
| Renfrewshire Cup | Port Glasgow Athletic | 3 – 0 | St Mirren |
| Southern Counties Cup | St Cuthbert Wanderers | 4 – 1 | Douglas Wanderers |
| Stirlingshire Cup | Falkirk | 6 – 1 | Kilsyth Wanderers |

### Non-league honours

Highland League
Top Three :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Inverness Caledonian | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 16 | +13 | 15 |
| 2 | Inverness Thistle | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 11 | +15 | 15 |
| 3 | Clachnacuddin | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 12 |
Other Senior Leagues
| Division | Winner |
| Ayrshire Combination | Ayr |
| Midland League | Stenhousemuir |
| Northern League | Forfar Athletic |
| Scottish Alliance | Wishaw Thistle |

## Scotland national team

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Competition | Scotland scorer(s) |
| 21 March 1896 | Carolina Port, Dundee (H) | Wales | 4–0 | BHC | Robert Neil (2), Alex Keillor, Daniel Paton |
| 28 March 1896 | Solitude, Belfast (A) | Ireland | 3–3 | BHC | Robert McColl (2), James Blessington |
| 4 April 1896 | Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) | England | 2–1 | BHC | William Lambie, John Bell |
Scotland were winners of the 1896 British Home Championship.
Key:
* (H) = Home match
* (A) = Away match
* BHC = British Home Championship
| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Scotland (C) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 5 |
| England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 4 |
| Wales | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 2 |
| Ireland | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 1 |

## Other national teams
### Scottish League XI

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | Scotland scorer(s) |
| 15 February | Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) | Irish League XI | 3–2 | Allan Martin (3) |
| 11 April | Goodison Park, Liverpool (A) | Football League XI | 1–5 | James Oswald |